I Just Want the Truthiness!
by kkbeatlesfan
Summary: In the summer of 2004 in the heat of the Democratic National Convention, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert find that their feelings for each other are deeper than they thought. Jon/Stephen
1. Chapter 1

Title: I Won't Give Up

Author: kkbeatlesfan

Pairing: Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

Setting: New York City/Boston, July 2004

Rating: PG-13 for language

Disclaimer: Any similarity between the characters of this story and their real-life counterparts are purely coincidental. This is not meant, in any context, to be defamatory toward anyone included in the story. It is strictly a work of fiction. Thank you.

_July 26__th__, 2004_

Jon Stewart glanced up from his cluttered desk and his script printed on light blue paper to find Stephen Colbert staring down at him. Stephen looked unusually on edge as nervously clasped his hands together.

"What is it, Stephen?" Jon asked in a humorous old lady-like voice to hopefully put him at ease.

"I… I don't know about going on this trip to Boston tomorrow to the convention… I mean, it's an entire week, and I promised Evie that I would take her out for a nice dinner sometime this week."

"Didn't you remember that the Democratic National Convention was coming up, one of the most important highlights of the whole Indecision 2004 piece?"

"What if I was on the floor at the Republican National Convention… I'm sure you could get Ed, Samantha, or Rob to do the piece!"

"I know we could, but we need you. People want to see you out there," Jon pleaded, his blue eyes gleaming for dramatic effect.

Stephen let out a long sigh before running his fingers through his dark brown hair.

"Okay… I'll go."

"Great!" Jon hollered as he nearly jumped for joy from his black leather office chair, "We'll be staying in the dorms at a college down there."

"Seriously? That's the best they could set us up with? College dorm rooms?"

"I know, but maybe we can… relive our old college days or something."

"Jon, I think we're a little too old for that. And I don't really want to run the chance of contracting syphilis from sleeping in a dorm room again," he laughed.

"Come on, it's only four days! And I don't think you can get that just from staying in a dorm. Trust me, we can go sightseeing and everything once we get there."

Stephen sighed again in defeat, "Well, I guess I'll pack my bags…"

"Good…" Jon said as he flipped the pen in his left hand. "Be here a little before five, because the bus is leaving as soon as possible."

"Five… A.M?" Stephen whined, "Seriously? That early?"

"Come on, quit being a whiner and just suck it up!"

"Ah, fine," Stephen huffed as he walked out of the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: I Just Want the Truthiness!

Author: kkbeatlesfan

Pairing: Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

Setting: New York City/Boston, July 2004

Rating: PG-13 for language

Disclaimer: Any similarity between the characters of this story and their real-life counterparts are purely coincidental. This is not meant, in any context, to be defamatory toward anyone included in the story. It is strictly a work of fiction. Thank you.

_July 27__th__, 2004: New York City, 5 A.M._

Stephen Colbert arrived ten minutes before five A.M. the next morning, lugging a black suitcase filled with a week's worth of clothing and supplies to find that Jon and the other correspondents had already arrived. He could see them loading their suitcases in their proper compartments in the decked-out coach bus, occasionally checking their watches to be sure to let Stephen hear about it if he was a few minutes late. And, just in case he forgot what company he belonged to, the Comedy Central logo and _The Daily Show with Jon Stewart _was emblazoned across the side of the red-white-and-blue bus.

"Honey, I'm home!" he jokingly called out into the darkness.

"I thought you were going to be late," Samantha Bee stated as she brushed past him with two suitcases.

"When was the last time _I _was late?" he questioned with a crooked eyebrow.

"Uh, last week when we sent you out to get lattes during the writing meeting," Rob Corddry laughed as he paced past him.

"Yeah, the Starbucks is only a block away and it took you forty-five minutes?" Ed Helms scoffed.

"Well, everyone just had to have a highly-specific order, some with whipped cream, some without, some with chocolate sprinkles on top, some without, and you…" he wagged a finger at Jon Stewart, "You and your blueberry turnover you just had to have. And _this_ is the thanks I get?"

"I thanked you!" Jon corrected, "And besides, I gave you like, thirty-five bucks or something to get a few cups of coffee, and I didn't see any change from that. What, did you leave a fifteen-dollar tip?"

"Actually, I did," Stephen said, trying to stay with the joke and keep a straight face, "I guess I'm not cheap like you!"

Jon let out a fake gasp as he grabbed Stephen's bag and loaded it into the overhead bin. "Are you saying that because I'm Jewish?"

Stephen's face crumpled immediately in disbelief, but then caught the joke when the rest of the crew erupted into laughter. It was too early for him to understand jokes, after all, considering he had practically just rolled out of bed and packed his things.

"Relax, Colbert," Rob said as he playfully tapped him on the shoulder.

Stephen quietly grabbed a seat by the window on the elaborately-decorated bus and immediately reclined his soft chair. He removed his glasses and placed them carefully in the cup holder beside him before closing his eyes in hopes of catching at least another hour of shut-eye. He could hear the others not-so-quietly clambering for their seats as the engine started with a mighty roar. He was just about to drift off to sleep before he heard that familiar voice hollering for him.

"Stephen! Come on, we have to go over a few rewrites and stuff," Jon reported from the back end of the bus. Stephen could decipher the usual frantic shuffling of papers and scribbling of a ballpoint pen on the table in the back, so he pretty much knew that he was in for another boring writer's meeting: on wheels!

"Okay, Jon… hold on…" he droned on as he gave up his comfortable seat and yawned. He fumbled to put his glasses back on before grabbing his cup of coffee and heading to the back booth to converse with the other correspondents about which news stories from the latest papers they could use.

"Wake up, there, buddy," Ed said as Stephen slowly sat down, his hair looking as if he just rolled out of bed. Stephen took a sip of his coffee before realizing it was too hot, then picked up another pen and looked down at the day's materials.

"What needs to be rewritten?" Stephen asked as he affixed his glasses farther on his nose. As he finished the sentence, his hand brushed across his cup of coffee, knocking the scalding liquid into Jon's lap.

"Stephen!" Jon yelped, "What the hell?" He shot up from his seat and began to frantically dab away the coffee with a wad of paper towels. The front of his navy slacks were now soaked, and Stephen felt horrible.

"Jon, I'm sorry!" he uttered, "Here, let me help you!"

Stephen grabbed another bunch of paper towels, got down on one knee and dabbed away at the large stain on the crotch of Jon's pants.

"Stephen, Stephen, stop. That looks horrible," Ed said with a muffled chuckle.

"Yeah, seriously, can you get away from my crotch?" Jon spat. "Why don't you just go back to sleep. You're too tired, anyway."

Stephen ran a hand through his dark brown hair as he walked back to his original seat in defeat. He was so embarrassed about what he had done to Jon, and he couldn't even look at the other correspondents. Without removing his glasses, he fell asleep again almost immediately with his seat reclined back and Jon on his mind.

After Jon had gotten the chance to change his soaked pants and finish all the rewrites with the rest of the cast, he was worn out. He looked at his watch to find that it was still only six, and it would be another three and a half hours before they arrived in Boston. He looked at himself in the mirror as he combed his silvery hair back, and the dark bags under his eyes indicated he needed some sleep, unless he wanted to spend extra time in the makeup to cover them before the taping.

He wandered to the front of the bus to find Stephen still sleeping with an expression of distress on his face. He _does _look cute when he's sleeping, Jon thought. The thought was abruptly ripped apart as he snapped back to reality: both he and Stephen were married, and they were known to be just best friends before that. Still, he felt a pang of regret for yelling at him as he watched his friend's dark eyelashes flutter and his eyebrows crook as he slept. Seeing that his glasses were still on, Jon removed them and silently placed them in the cup holder as he sat down next to him. After taking a final look at the handsome man beside him, he reclined his chair quietly enough not to wake Stephen and settled in for a nap.

**A/N: Ah, there you have it, chapter two! Jon and Stephen are so cute, and I think you'll love what's coming! Please leave me a review if you have the time, because I'd greatly appreciate it! Well, I hope to write another chapter soon, so stay tuned.**


	3. Chapter 3

Title: I Just Want the Truthiness!

Author: kkbeatlesfan

Pairing: Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

Setting: Boston, July 2004

Rating: PG-13 for language

**Disclaimer: Any similarity between the characters of this story and their real-life counterparts are purely coincidental. This is not meant, in any context, to be defamatory toward anyone included in the story. It is strictly a work of fiction. **

Stephen awoke from his prolonged slumber to find that someone had removed his glasses and put them beside him on the arm rest. He could feel something resting on his right arm, so he swiftly snatched them and put them on using only one hand. He glanced down at his shoulder as the image developed from a blur to see Jon sleeping right next to him, with his head lounging on his shoulder. The corners of his mouth were upturned into a smirk, and his silvery hair was glistening beautifully in the sunlight, though it was slightly out of place. Stephen took one look at him and decided that he just couldn't wake him up on account of his cuteness, so he slowly reached up and gently smoothed a stray hair that was flickering across his forehead. His right arm was becoming increasingly numb from lack of movement, but being close to Jon almost seemed to take the uncomfortable tingling away.

He reached down slowly for his cup of coffee in the cup holder, but after taking one sip he realized that it had turned ice cold. He dropped it back into its rightful place with a loud thump, then he shot a look at Jon to make sure he hadn't awakened him. He was still sleeping soundly, even with the loud engine noise of the bus.

_How long did I sleep? _Stephen thought to himself as he flicked his left wrist to see the face of his shining gold watch. It was already nine, and they'd be arriving in Boston in another thirty minutes! Stephen found a handheld mirror rolling around on the floor, so he grabbed it and held it high above his head to see that the other three correspondents were still sleeping in their seats, too. He dropped the mirror to the floor and gazed down at Jon before reaching down and kissing him on the forehead. Jon didn't open his eyes yet, but he made a quiet snorting sound as he began to wake up. Terrified, Stephen turned away and closed his eyes to pretend that he was still sleeping as he had done when he had faked being sick to stay home from school as a child.

Jon opened his eyes and was nearly blinded by the sunlight that was now shining through the bus windows. He noticed that he had somehow rested his head on Stephen's shoulder while in his slumber, but luckily his friend wasn't awake yet to notice. He quickly swiped the back of his hand across his lips to make sure he hadn't been drooling, then he jumped up to greet the day.

Ed, Rob, and Samantha were all still in their seats, eyes closed, with Ed snoring softly. Jon decided that there was nothing left for him to do until they got to Boston, so he sat next to Stephen again and glanced up at the handsome man's face. Bravely, he inched closer and kissed him softly on the cheek.

Jon was unsure of what he was thinking at that moment, but all he knew was that his affinity for Stephen was undeniable. He had been able to squelch his will to show his feelings to him for so long, and he couldn't take it any longer.

_Shit. What if he felt that?_ Jon thought after the loving peck.

After thinking it over for a moment, he realized he didn't really care if Stephen knew he kissed him. Besides, his feelings for him finally needed to be put on the table, and that was that.

Stephen felt his cheek burning where Jon's lips had pressed. He couldn't believe it. Did Jon really like him like that? Stephen was unsure, but if the kiss was just a tease, he didn't know how he was ever going to be able to look at Jon Stewart ever again. He decided it was about time for him to open his eyes and look into Jon's beautiful blue eyes, and when he did, he nearly melted when he saw Jon looking directly at him. He looked almost concerned, but then he tried to act natural, so his mouth turned into a smirk.

"How long did I sleep?" Stephen whispered, just trying to make conversation.

Jon checked his watch and stuttered: "A-About four hours, I guess. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Oh…" he sighed, secretly wishing that Jon would reach over and kiss him again. "Jon?"

"Yeah?" he asked timidly.

"I was just wondering…" What was he saying? It sounded so stupid and simple when he said it like that!

Just as Stephen was beginning to question Jon about that sweet kiss, he spotted Ed out of the corner of his eye, wandering aimlessly around the bus.

"Holy shit, is he sleepwalking?" Jon yelped as he hopped up from his seat.

"Yeah, I think so!" Stephen gasped in amusement.

Ed stumbled around the interior of the loud bus until he tripped over a table leg. He seemed to crash to the ground in slow motion as he fell flat on his face on the charcoal gray carpeting.

"My God! Ed! Wake up!" Stephen yelled as he hopped up from his seat.

Ed jolted awake when his head hit the floor and quickly jumped up.

"Was I sleepwalking?" he questioned as he fixed his crooked glasses.

"Uh, yeah, you just stood up and crashed into the table," Jon pointed out.

Ed looked around, dazed and confused as he brushed off his pant legs. Stephen's eyes widened as he quickly glanced out the window and saw a roadside sign that read, "Welcome to Boston!"

"We're here!" he cheered as the bus rolled on. Jon was still trying to make sure that Ed was fully awake as the correspondents began to gather around him.

"Wha…" Samantha asked before yawning. "We're actually here!"

Great. Thanks to Ed, Stephen would have to wait to pour out his feelings for Jon… but it was only a matter of time.

**A/N: So, there you have it! Ah, Stephen and Jon… love those two. I was hoping to take one chapter for every day that they're on their journey at the Democratic National Convention, but I guess I'll have three or four to recap one day. Oh well, I tried, but there's just too much to be said about these guys. -kkbeatlesfan**


	4. Chapter 4

Title: I Just Want the Truthiness!

Author: kkbeatlesfan

Pairing: Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

Setting: Boston, July 2004

Rating: PG-13 for language

**A/N: Hey! I know it's been a few weeks since my last update, but personally I'm just waiting for school to end and summer to come. It lets my mind relax a little bit and just come up with good story ideas and such, so I hope that you'll stay tuned for the later chapters of this and my other stories that I'll hopefully get done this summer when my brain is just set free to be creative. I promise that things won't get too crazy. :D Like, I don't think that Stephen and Jon are having a baby in this one… maybe next time. Spoiler alert… too late. Haha**

Jon quickly glanced at his expensive watch as he exited the bus trailing Ed, Rob, and Samantha, with Stephen nipping at his heels. They had arrived at the Boston University campus, ready to take on their weeklong stay by living in the cramped dorm rooms. A crew had been working for days to get the actual _Daily Show _set in place, complete with projection screens, audio equipment, and a big, beautiful oak desk for Jon to perch behind every night. It almost felt like home.

Jon's brisk pace was making it difficult for Stephen to catch up to him. He looked on edge and incredibly nervous, and seeing him that way made Stephen want to just sneak in a quick kiss on his tanned neck, an assurance to let him know everything was okay. In a brave move, he stepped a little closer, and even caught a whiff of his musky cologne, and he was enjoying it immensely.

"Why are you so close?" Jon asked with a nervous chuckle. The others whirled around to look at Jon, so Stephen immediately backed off. It was becoming difficult for Jon to simply downplay his feelings for his beloved coworker, but he had suddenly reasoned with himself that their involvement romantically just couldn't happen.

"I'm sorry, Jon… I didn't realize…"

"It's okay… you just keep stepping on my heels."

Stephen felt a sudden pang of rejection and regret. Apparently Jon didn't think of him in a romantic way at all like he did, and it was beginning to break his heart. He hung his head low and kept a low profile as the dean of the university showed them the newly-rebuilt set of _The Daily Show _in one wing, the quad that was bustling with students lugging heavy backpacks filled with textbooks, and finally the dorm hall.

"Does each dorm have its own shower and everything?" Ed asked the tall, brown-haired man.

"Yes, in each of these dorms, they have recently been renovated to include a full bathroom," he replied.

Stephen just couldn't take any more of the boring questions. He just wanted to know which of the males of the group he'd be sharing a room with, Ed, Rob, or Jon, and he was secretly crossing his fingers for Jon. His feelings were so strong for that man that he just couldn't stop thinking about him, and that kiss had to mean _something, _didn't it?

The dean handed a key to Rob, one to Samantha, and the other to Jon. Jon turned the shining silver key over in the palm of his hand and glanced up to lock eyes with Stephen, who was watching him intently.

"Do you want to share a room?" he asked shyly with a slight smirk.

"Yeah… I guess so…" Stephen tried to downplay his expression of excitement.

Jon clicked the key into the lock of the metal knob and swung the wooden door open to find nothing but two twin-sized beds on opposite sides of the dimly-illuminated room, the mattresses covered in simple white sheets. The two men placed their suitcases on their selected beds, Stephen on the right and Jon on the left, and admired the room.

"Not too bad, eh?" Jon noted as he looked down at the relatively clean carpeting and walls. His own college dorm looked much messier, with sweaty soccer gear thrown about amongst opened textbooks, unfinished rough drafts, and empty packs of cigarettes.

"Yeah, it's okay."

Stephen fell back onto the mattress and closed his eyes for a moment to become entranced in thought. He heard Jon hurriedly unzipping his suitcase and setting out his clothes as he drifted off to daydream. He thought about confronting Jon about that kiss while he was supposed to be sleeping, but when he finally conjured up the right words, Jon was ready to head down to the set.

"Come on, Stephen, we have to go down for filming pretty soon!" he said as he stepped out the door.

Stephen warily stood up and followed him through the dim hallways that were crowded by the occasional group of students chatting loudly about their classes. Some seemed sullen, as if they had been evicted by their roommate so they could enjoy an eventful evening with their significant other. Stephen didn't miss that aspect of college at all: he was always the one getting kicked out while his roommate was making out on Stephen's bed with a beautiful girl.

Jon raced across the quad, just straining to get away from his thoughts of Stephen just for one second. He hadn't planned for it to be this way, but now his heart began to pound every time those big, brown puppy-dog eyes met his. _This shit is ridiculous, _he thought as he raced through a group of eager freshmen clutching heavy textbooks, _I can't be in love with him just like that, but I've never felt this way before._

Stephen once again struggled to keep up with his pace, and before long he was pleading for him to slow down.

"Jon! Jon! Just wait a second!" he panted. Jon surprisingly came to a halt immediately, and his glance met Stephen's once again, but quickly diverted to the cobblestone sidewalk.

"What?" he snapped, clutching his script tightly in his fist.

"I just don't get what the rush is!"

Jon sighed deeply and regained his train of thought. _It's about fucking time we get this shit straightened out._

"Stephen… sit down on that bench over there, we need to talk."

Jon led the way to the only empty wooden bench in the quad and sat down as he ran his fingers through his graying hair.

"Jon, I actually have something I need to tell _you_," Stephen suggested.

Not quite ready to admit his own revelation, Jon waited for Stephen to proceed.

"I really like you, Jon… and I know that you kissed me when we were on the bus."

"Stephen, we can't do this. We're both married, and…"

"Shh, just let me finish. I think that we _can _make all of this work out in its own way, if we just work a little harder at it."

Jon was about to reply as he noticed Ed and Rob approaching from over Stephen's shoulder.

"What are you guys up to? Shouldn't you be going to makeup pretty soon?" Rob asked.

"Yeah, we were going to head over there in a minute," Stephen snapped.

"That's where we're going right now." Jon added in a friendlier tone.

"Well, we're heading over right now, because we need to get our makeup done to film our segments first," Ed explained.

"Okay, thanks," Jon sighed as he watched them walk away and waited for them to get out of earshot.

"Like I was saying, I think we can work it out," Stephen said with that usual gleam in his eye.

Jon just sat there in silence for a moment as he wracked his brain for answers. Damn, he wanted to just kiss Stephen so badly, but he still wasn't sure. Stephen was still looking at him like a beaten puppy, and he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on, Jon, say something," Stephen coaxed.

Without another word between them, Jon looked behind him to see that Rob, Ed, and Samantha were clearly out of view before quickly reaching over and planting a real kiss on Stephen's soft lips. Stephen welcomed him warmly by reaching up to rub his hand gently across his face while in their lip lock. Jon's breath tasted sweet, and Stephen was enjoying it immensely. Every inch of the man (all 67 inches) was turning him on, electrifying him, and he never wanted to let go.

But then Jon let go. Stephen still had his face fixed in his hands, and Jon's beautiful bright blue eyes met his. A smirk appeared on his face, and he went in for another lengthy smooch. This time, Stephen slid his arms further down his waist and he securely wrapped himself around him. They finally pulled away before Jon could come up with his answer.

"We'll talk about this later," he said briefly before wriggling loose from Stephen's grip and leaving the bench. He looked around to catch unknowing glares from college students from all around the quad, but those people had no idea what they were missing. He swiped his lips with the back of his hand quickly and began walking at a slower pace than last time, letting Stephen catch up to him and entwine their fingers as they strolled along the quad. For being incredibly brief with him, Stephen knew exactly what Jon meant, and he was on the exact same page.

It was really Jon's turn to catch up to their relationship.

**A/N: Why hello again, dearie! I hope you enjoyed the newest edition, and I hope you review it! It would be greatly appreciated. If you enjoy Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert but with a twist of craziness **_**The Hangover-**_**style with Ed Helms and Steve Carell added to the mix, check out my other story, **_**Some Guys Just Can't Handle Nashville. **_**Uh, and I'm also open for new title suggestions for that one, too. It's a bit long. Just like my Author's Notes. Haha. Anyway, I'm also writing another (yes, another!) Jon/Stephen fic that is hopefully soon-to-be-released… it's quite interesting, actually. No babies yet in that one either, sadly. Sorry. It's going to be titled **_**Flash of Genius, **_**and if you review this story for me and ask nicely (or not so nicely, whatever) for a sneak-peek of it, I'll gladly send you a PM with the first chapter. Oh yeah! -kkbeatlesfan (Person whose attention span cannot be focused just on one story at a time… if you check out my profile, I currently have seven that need updating… **Sigh** maybe someday.)**


	5. Chapter 5

Title: I Just Want the Truthiness!

Author: kkbeatlesfan

Pairing: Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

Setting: Boston, July 2004

Rating: PG-13 for language

**A/N: Hello again! Welcome to part five. Please read on. Thank you!**

After Jon and Stephen arrived on the set, they were whisked away into the makeup chair alongside the other correspondents for a good fifteen minutes, then Jon became surrounded by people shoving scripts at him. He grabbed one and did only a quick read-through before running off to the wardrobe department to deliver it to Stephen. He walked into the dressing room to find him standing there, his white shirt completely unbuttoned and a red striped tie hanging over one of the clothing racks. Jon had to admit he looked gorgeous, but he coyly propped himself up in the doorway and smirked.

"Hey," he said softly, still being taken in by his looks, "Here's the script for the show. You'd better look through it."

Stephen buttoned his shirt quickly and tucked it into his dark slacks before grabbing his tie and wrapping it around his neck.

"Here, let me help you," Jon offered, noticing that no one was around. He handed the script to Stephen, who began reading it as Jon started tying.

"A Double Windsor, Jon," Stephen commanded softly.

Jon obeyed and tied the double Windsor knot tightly around his collar. He looked around for a moment to notice that they were still the only ones around, so he snuck in a quick kiss on the lips. Stephen pulled away and smiled down at him.

"Thanks," he said simply before slipping his black suit jacket over his shoulders. Now both men were dressed to the hilt, Jon sporting a dark suit with a navy and gold striped tie. They left the dressing room together and conversed with the other correspondents about the script.

A good four hours later, the _Daily Show _crew had one night of coverage of the 2004 Democratic National Convention under their belts, and it had all gone pretty smoothly. Jon couldn't help but smile when the audience would roar every time he would cut to one of Stephen's reports. He could see why he was so loved amongst their viewers. He also couldn't stop grinning when they played the clip of an exchange of he and Stephen just six months earlier, when Stephen had made a special promise.

"Jon, I'm telling you right here and right now, if Howard Dean doesn't win this nomination, I will stick anything you care to name… inside myself."

After the clip was shown and the audience's cheers and laughs died down, Stephen replied with: "By the way, thank you for not saying Volkswagen."

The two would surely have a laugh after the taping about that.

The crew and the correspondents patted each other on the back for surviving the first day of what was considered hell to some, fun for others. Most of the crew crowded around Stephen and praised him for keeping such a straight composure during the show, which he usually was excellent at anyway.

"Hey, do you guys want to go out to dinner?" Ed Helms suggested, "Rob says he knows this great place on the waterfront where we can go."

Jon and Stephen glanced at each other before nodding with the others. They hadn't eaten anything since breakfast so early in the morning before their departure from New York, so they were starving by the time six o' clock rolled around. Soon enough, the lights dimmed on their makeshift set and the entire crew hopped on the enormous bus to the restaurant.

It was a nice place that was nestled on the pier near the water, and glowing lights from a carnival across the pier were shining brightly above a golden sunset. They luckily had enough seating to allow for the thirty-some people of _The Daily Show _staff to have a seat, and Jon quickly grabbed a seat next to Stephen in a corner booth, across from Ed and Sam.

"What did you think about the first day?" Samantha asked as she twirled a piece of lettuce from her salad around her fork.

"I thought it went pretty well… even though we were kind of rushed and everything, but I'm sure tomorrow will be better," Jon answered as Stephen nodded beside him in agreement.

"Yeah, I think we'll be so used to it by the end of the week that we might not want to go home," Ed laughed.

It was pretty much the truth for Jon and Stephen. They had connected so easily on the trip that they barely wanted the week to end so they could go home to their usual lives. They were loving what they had seen in Boston, or at least what they wanted to see, and they were truly happy together.

Everyone ate quickly and left to go back to the Boston University campus to beat the rush of people coming back from the convention, but Jon and Stephen wanted to do a little exploring of the pier on Boston Bay. It was a nice and relatively cool July night after all, and the stars were shining brightly above them as they headed out on the patio.

"Sure is nice tonight, isn't it?" Stephen asked Jon, who was amazed at his usual Southern simplicity and calmness in a moment like this.

"Yeah, the stars are beautiful," he commented as they strolled along, the half-full beer bottles they had ordered swaying in their hands as they walked. They eventually agreed somehow in silence to stop at one area and lean over the railing to look down into the deep depths of the water just to think for awhile. The full moon in the sky made the rippling waves of the water glisten beautifully under the light, and the distant sound of music blaring from the carnival could still be heard. There wasn't another soul on their end of the pier; everyone had probably either been at the convention or some other thing that was no equivalent to the beauty of this night. Stephen's voice was the first to break the night's silence as Jon took the last swig of his beer.

"What a day," he sighed.

"Yeah, it sure was. One day down, three more to go."

"The set guys sure did a nice job of putting that whole new set together… it looked like the one in New York," Stephen turned to Jon, and he could feel his warm breaths touching his face as he spoke. Jon wanted to just wrap his arms around him and kiss him again, but he didn't want to rush things quite yet.

Stephen then heard a song come on that fit their situation perfectly: "If I Fell" by the Beatles. It came over the crackly speakers of the carnival and had traveled over the sound of the waves and the annoying Merry-Go-Round music to Stephen and Jon's ears.

Stephen began to sing.

"_If I fell in love with you, would you promise to be true and help me understand, though I've been in love before, I've found that love is more than just holding hands," _he sang in his beautifully deep voice. Jon smiled from ear-to-ear and chuckled a little, so it was about time for Stephen to belt out the chorus.

"_If I give my heart to you, you must be sure from the very start that you don't love me more than her…"_

Stephen stepped closer to Jon with every word, looking him straight in the eye to try to sense through the darkness if he was getting the underlying message. Jon began to understand, and realized that if he wanted to make his relationship with Stephen work out, he needed to let him know that he was never going to be second best, which wouldn't be a difficult thing to do. He loved Stephen, and he knew Stephen loved him, that's why he was so cautious of stepping into the relationship to make sure it wouldn't be another heartache.

"_If I trust in you, oh please, don't run and hide. If I love you too, oh please, don't hurt my pride like her… because I couldn't stand the pain. And I'd be sad if our new love was in vain." _

Stephen wrapped his arms around Jon's waist and looked him deeply in the eyes. He wasn't about to let him go. By the light of the moon, it looked as if Jon's face looked a bit more pale as he rubbed his eyes for a moment before Stephen serenaded him with the last few lines.

"_Oh I hope you see that I would love to love you, and that she will cry when she learns we are two."_

Stephen bravely raised his hand and stroked Jon's cheek softly to notice it was damp from tears. He uttered the last line with his voice now wavering.

"_If I fell in love with you…"_

The last guitar chords shot through the night air as Jon reached up and kissed Stephen's soft lips. He wasn't about to let this one get away. He then realized, after all the kisses he had shared with Stephen, that Jane Fonda was definitely right: Stephen did have nice lips.

They eventually made it back to their dorm room around nine o'clock that night, and they wasted no time getting down to business. Stephen could hardly resist Jon's soft kisses on his collarbone as he loosened the collar of his buttoned shirt and later peeled it off. They had decided to slide their two twin-sized beds together to make a bed fit for a king (or two handsome pundits, at least), and they lay beside each other kissing in the dark. They couldn't keep their hands off each other for the rest of the night until looked deeply into each other's eyes, now stripped down to their underwear, as they whispered to each other finally.

"I love you, Jon."

"I love you too, Stephen."

"By the way, I am _very _glad you didn't say Volkswagen."

**A/N: Yep, there you have it! I know you may have been expecting it to get all down n' dirty and stuff, but remember: I'm trying to keep it PG-13! ;) Anyway, leave me a review, tell me what you think, and I'll applaud you. **Applause****


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **I Just Want the Truthiness! (6/?)

**Author: **kkbeatlesfan

**Pairing: **Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

**Setting: **Boston, July 2004

**Rating: **PG-13 for language

**Summary: **Jon and Stephen struggle to hide their romance from the other _Daily Show _correspondents during the second day at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

**Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note: **This chapter was actually written first when the idea popped into my head, and I have to say, it's my favorite so far. So, I hope you like it, and happy reading!

Jon ran his fingers through his silver-tinged hair as he turned over to find Stephen still sleeping dreamily. His soft snores made a stray hair on his forehead fly up with every shallow breath. He looked gorgeous as he slept; his usually open and expressive eyes were now closed and framed with long, dark eyelashes. Jon took a closer look at him and sighed before leaning down and kissing him sweetly on the lips in hopes of awaking him from his deep slumber. Stephen's eyes opened slowly to reveal his beautiful chocolate-brown irises as he glanced upward to meet Jon's bluish-tinted ones.

"Good morning," Jon whispered softly in his ear, taking in the faint smell of his cologne.

"Morning," Stephen smirked before stretching his lanky arm over to the nightstand to reach his glasses. He pressed them onto the bridge of his nose in the usual place and propped himself up on his right elbow to look Jon directly in the eyes.

"What time is it?" he yawned.

"It's seven-thirty, and I figured that the others would be expecting us for breakfast soon," Jon replied.

Stephen let out a long sigh as he fell back down onto the mattress. He wanted to just lay in bed all day with Jon, not having to cover it up in front of their co-workers with stiff suits and perfectly-styled hair. They had a tacit agreement that they'd rather be lounging around in boxer shorts and bedhead. Just as Stephen was about to fasten his watch around his wrist, they heard a sharp knock at the door.

"Stephen? Jon? Are you guys ready to go to breakfast?" a voice immediately recognized as Ed's called out.

"Yeah, we'll meet you in about fifteen minutes in the quad," Jon hollered back.

"Okay, I'll see you then."

Stephen and Jon waited patiently for the sound of his footsteps to eventually become silent before springing out of the pushed-together set of twin beds. Jon searched frantically through his toiletries case before being interrupted by Stephen.

"We have to move your bed back!" Stephen ordered as he yanked at one of the bedposts. It slowly slid across the carpeted floor until Jon jumped in to help, nearly pinning Stephen to the wall. Stephen then tried to smooth the crumpled sheets in a frenzy before Jon stopped him.

"You go shower first, and I'll fix this," he commanded as he handed him a fresh bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo. Without another word, Stephen ran into the bathroom and quickly showered, secretly wishing that Jon was in there with him. He emerged a few minutes later, still shirtless with a white towel wrapped around his waist, as he noticed that all the bedding was neatly in place again. Steam uncurled behind him as he stood in the middle of the room struggling to see Jon through his fogged glasses. Jon was casually propped up on the bed, flipping through messages on his phone.

"Jon? Do you know where my toothpaste and comb and stuff are?"

"I put it on the counter by the sink," he answered quietly, preoccupied by noticing a missed call notification from Tracey. He cursed silently as he put the phone away. A pang of guilt surged through him as he recalled what exactly he had been doing the night before at nine-thirty when he had missed that call.

Meanwhile, Stephen meticulously combed his dark hair away from his forehead as he hummed the tune of a Cheap Trick song. He put the comb down and began brushing his teeth. Just as he was about to finish, Jon snuck up behind him, now dressed in his boxer shorts and an old grey t-shirt, and wrapped his arms around him while resting his head on Stephen's still-damp shoulder. He kissed his warm, bare neck as Stephen put the brush down.

"Jon?" Stephen asked nervously.

"What?" Jon replied between smooches.

"I think this is going to work."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I love you," he replied as he spat the rest of the toothpast into the sink and turned to face Jon. He placed his hands around his waist before going in for a lengthy kiss on the lips, the minty toothpaste still framing the corners of his mouth. They kissed in mint-scented bliss until a cell phone ring snapped them back to reality. Jon opened his eyes before Stephen and let out a, "Huh?" as their lips slowly parted.

"I think that's mine," Stephen whispered as he wandered off to his luggage to find his phone. He picked up on the fourth ring to hear Rob's voice on the other end of the line.

"Where are you guys?" he questioned immediately.

"W… We're still at the room… we'll be down in a few minutes," Stephen stuttered as he searched through his suitcase for a pair of pants and a shirt.

"Okay… just hurry up!" Rob said impatiently before hanging up.

"B…" Stephen began before realizing he had already been hung up on. He finally found a pair of black slacks, his black leather belt that was left lying on the floor from the night before, and a crisp white dress shirt dangling from a hanger in the closet. He got dressed quickly as Jon took a shower before laying back on the bed with his head propped up on a pillow and his feet dangling off the edge of the bed. He flipped through his text messages from the night before to find one from his wife, Evie.

"Hey, honey, did you make it to Boston yet?" read the first of many. He promptly clicked to the next one and caught his breath as he read on: "Give me a call when you get in. I love you."

Stephen looked down at his hands to notice they were now trembling terribly. His fingers slowly fumbled with the buttons as he dialed home, and he could hear the sound of his own heartbeat as the phone rang. Finally his wife picked up with a cheerful greeting.

"How's the trip going, honey?" she asked. Stephen swallowed as he cleared his throat and thought of the proper answer.

"Oh, it's great. I'm just waiting for Jon to get ready so we can head down to breakfast."

"What time do you have to be at the convention?"

"They allow everyone with press passes in at ten, so we'll probably go right after breakfast."

"Oh…" she said, "Well, you can call later tonight to talk to the kids if you get in a little earlier, but I figured you'd be tired last night anyway."

"Yeah… I… was, but I'll call tonight," he stuttered into the phone as he saw Jon waltz out of the bathroom. "I will, I promise."

"You will what?" Jon asked, thinking that Stephen was talking to him.

"I hear Jon in the background, so I better let you go. Have fun! I love you!" Evie said finally.

"Yeah, I love you too. Talk to you later," he replied before hanging up.

"Was that Evie?" Jon asked as he jammed the toothbrush in his mouth.

"Yeah… who the hell else would I be saying, 'I love you' to?" he snapped.

"You said it to me."

Stephen nodded as he buried his head in his hand: "Jon, I'm sorry."

Stephen looked up to look at Jon's expression in the mirror. His eyes looked grim and sad as he spat out a glob of toothpaste into the sink. Stephen felt numb as he sat on the edge of the bed and stared blankly at the wall. He felt absolutely horrible for cheating on his wife, but he had just fallen for Jon so fast. It became hard to hide, and it was starting to eat him up inside to see Jon stare blankly at the mirror with those gloomy eyes. He decided not to sneak up behind him as Jon had done to him, but instead he got up and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I really do love _you, _Jon."

Jon didn't look up. He stared at the water still flowing down the drain from the faucet as he thought of what to say. Maybe the whole thing wouldn't work out after all. Maybe it would. He didn't know.

"I know you do, Stephen. And I love you too."

Stephen wrapped his arms around Jon's bare waist and hugged him. He wasn't about to let him slip away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **I Just Want the Truthiness! (7/?)

**Author: **kkbeatlesfan

**Pairing: **Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert

**Setting: **Boston, July 2004

**Rating: **PG-13 for language

**Summary: **Tensions begin to rise over breakfast.

**Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**A Quick Note from the Author: Hello! To all readers to this story, I have a question: should I write an upcoming chapter from the point of view from either Stephen or Jon? Or both? Let me know if you have any ideas… I've been rolling it around in my mind a little bit, and I think it could work out.**

Jon quickly got dressed in a dapper suit with a red patterned tie before he met Stephen's lips one last time for a kiss. They would have to wait quite a while for another, but Stephen did manage to slip his warm hand around Jon's as they left their quiet dorm room. Sure, it was a bold move, but they suspected that the others wouldn't be wandering around the corridors of the dorm hall, so they decided they were safe. The happy couple was sure to drop their grip as soon as they headed outside into the sun-soaked quad, though. Rob, Ed, and Samantha were perched on benches surrounding a flower garden, beginning to look incredibly pissed.

"Where have you been?" Ed snapped, glaring at his watch.

"W… we slept in…" Jon answered quickly, "Our alarm didn't go off."

Their faces managed to brighten a little. "Well, we're eating breakfast at this place in town to do the rewrites," Rob explained.

Jon didn't know who the hell made up that plan, considering he was the host of the show, but he decided not to make waves to keep the other correspondents off his back for spending so much time with Stephen. That was the last thing he needed at the moment.

Breakfast was quite a loud affair as Jon and the crew struggled to write new material for the upcoming show. Jon and Stephen were not exactly helping considering they were out and about the night before instead of being glued to C-SPAN's coverage of the convention like the rest of the crew. They weren't about to admit that, though, but they looked pretty guilty as they absentmindedly nodded in agreement as Ed brought up some of the highlights.

"Did you guys see that last night when, like, three different Democrats got up there and made a speech about how they can relate to the working class, just because their father was a mill worker or a milk truck driver?"

Everyone but Jon and Stephen nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, like it really adds to their credibility when their _fathers _were hard workers," Samantha laughed before taking a sip of her iced tea.

Stephen pushed the leftover pieces of his Belgian waffle around his plate as he mulled over the thought. He knew he needed to say _something, _add his input to the script _somehow, _and finally, he got his chance.

"What's next? Is some guy going to get up there and say, 'My father was a poor Virginia turd miner?'"

The table immediately erupted into laughter, especially Jon, who's childish giggle was highly recognizable above the others. Stephen adored his laugh, and he would always try his best just to hear that cute giggle. Jon smiled at him brightly, his face illuminated by the stream of sunlight through the window.

"That's great, Stephen, write that one up," Jon ordered. Stephen smiled shyly.

"Thanks… but that wouldn't nearly be as bad as…" he thought for a moment, searching for a career that was simply outrageous, "'My father's father was a goat-ball licker."

Everyone began laughing again, and praising Stephen for his effort. Jon gave him a sly wink as if to say, "That was pretty damn funny considering you didn't see a second of the convention coverage."

"And…" Rob began between laughs, "how is that even a job?"

"Well, Rob, you see…" he mulled the thought over again, "as it turns out, the most important thing was to keep the goats happy."

"Oh, Christ, Stephen!" Ed exploded into laughter. "We have to add this to the show… _we have to."_

Stephen pleadingly looked at Jon, who needed no coaxing.

"Yes, it'll definitely be in," he said finally.

_The Daily Show _cast figured out the show's lineup over the next two hours sitting at the restaurant. They had come up with brilliant ideas for the script, even a few more than needed, so they could use some of the material for the next night's show. The energy was thriving when they went in for the taping, loud cheers from the audience only fueling their adrenaline rush. Stephen's "goat-ball licker" sketch probably got the best laugh of the night, causing Jon to laugh out loud at its absurdity as well. Everyone went back to their dorm rooms once again after dinner, so Jon and Stephen decided to do the same. They needed to keep a closer eye on the news on the convention, after all.

Jon sat cross-legged on his own bed, now changed back into the same gray t-shirt and boxer shorts, as Stephen fumbled around in his suitcase to look for his phone charger. If he didn't call Evie and the kids tonight, would she start to suspect that something was up? Maybe he was just paranoid, but he didn't feel like coming up with a quick excuse that probably wouldn't be believable. Would she really suspect that he was having an affair with Jon? He wasn't sure.

"What are you doing, Stephen?" Jon asked, now propped up on a couple pillows as he flipped through messages on his own phone.

"I'm looking for my phone charger… I have to call Evie," he said, moments before he found the black cord hidden amongst pairs of clean underwear. He quickly plugged it in and went to go sit on his own bed, abandoning his phone on the table on the other side of the room.

"I thought you were going to call her," Jon commented.

"I… I am. But you're not supposed to talk on the phone while it's charging… I guess it causes cancer."

"Oh really? Is it just that?"

"Yeah… it's just that," he lied, not wanting to tell him of his fear that Evie might find out about their little tryst.

Jon decided he needed to do _something. _He could tell by the look on Stephen's face that he was confused, maybe even hurt. He needed comfort, and Jon wanted to give it to him.

"Stephen?"

"Yeah?" he asked, suddenly finding interest in the blank white ceiling tiles.

"Do you want this to work out?"

"I… I don't know," his voice wavered, "I don't want anyone to find out."

Without another word, Jon stood up from the bed and walked over to Stephen, who was now rubbing his eyes laying on his bed.

"Jon? What are you doing?"

Jon sat down next to him and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. It made Stephen's knees weak, and he couldn't resist. He wrapped his arms around Jon's neck and kissed him again and again as they slowly fell back on the bed.

Frankly, Evie would have to wait.

**Author's Note: Hey, cool reader! If you enjoyed this story, you may also like my other story, **_**Flag Day, **_**where Stephen freaks out because he realizes his flag is torn on the day of his first annual Colbert Flag Day Function! Plus, I wrote a second part to it, called **_**Let Freedom Ring, **_**which chronicles Stephen's attempt to hold the best Fourth of July party ever. Sorry, shameless advertising. Once again, my apologies. -kkbeatlesfan**


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: **I Just Want the Truthiness! (8/8)

**Author: **kkbeatlesfan

**Pairing: **Jon/Stephen

**Rating: **PG-13 for language

**Summary: **Will Jon and Stephen's love for each other ever work out?

**Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note: Okay, this is kind of different from what I originally was looking to write, but here it is anyway. This is the final chapter to this, so I hoped you enjoyed it! This was my first foray into Jon/Stephen fanfic, so I hope I improve on my next story. **

Stephen awoke alone the next morning to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Jon must have taken it off its charger and set it on the nightstand, and he could hear the shower running. He grabbed his watch and noticed that it was only six, and he was alarmed that anyone would be calling him at that hour. He rolled over, positioned his glasses on his face, and checked his phone to notice that it was Evie calling.

"_Oh, shit," _he thought to himself as he answered.

"Hello," he said calmly, nicely.

"Stephen, where were you last night?" she snapped immediately. "You didn't call _again."_

Stephen knew he couldn't get away with lying about getting back to the dorm late again. Evie was too smart for that, and she knew him too well.

"My phone went dead and…"

"So why didn't you charge it?"

"I couldn't… I was at the Fleet Center all night…"

"That's a lie," she said flatly.

"No, it's not! You can ask Jon! I was with him!"

After the words slipped out of his mouth, the regret hit him harder than ever before. He sure was with Jon, but definitely not under the circumstances that Evie was expecting. He couldn't _ever_ let her know about he and Jon's relationship… it would kill her. And the kids. He couldn't imagine winding up divorced, also wrecking Jon's relationship with Tracey, and explaining to his young children that Daddy is in love with a man who he used to just be best friends with. They thought of Jon like an uncle already, but a cool uncle that would bring them toys almost every time he came over, not some freak that could break up their parent's marriage. The thought was unbearable. He was beginning to think that Jon's "if we just work harder at this, it can all work out" bullshit was just complete garbage.

"Are you going to call tonight?" she asked simply, still a hint of anger in her voice.

"Yes… I'll try," he replied just as Jon was stepping out of the shower. "But we're interviewing people tonight at the convention, so I guess I can't promise anything."

Jon sat on the edge of the bed as he dried his hair with a towel. He wanted to listen to Stephen's conversation, and Stephen knew it.

"I'm sorry. I've got to go. I'll try to call tonight. I love you." he said finally. He was shocked when Evie didn't respond with their usual, "I love you, too." He put the phone down beside him on the unmade bed and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Was that Evie?" Jon asked flatly, without looking at his lover.

"Yeah, and she's pissed. Really pissed."

Jon pulled on a pair of black slacks and neatly tucked in his crisp white dress shirt. Stephen just watched intently as he picked up a leather belt and threaded it through the loops on the waistband of the slacks with ease.

"I don't know what you can tell her," Jon said finally, "but you can't tell her about us."

_No shit, Jon,_ Stephen thought as he looked at the day's busy schedule. He was supposed to go down to the Fleet Center that day for the convention, but without Jon.

"You're not coming to the Fleet Center to do interviews?"

"No. I'm staying here."

Stephen didn't show his anger, but instead flew up from the bed and headed into the bathroom to take a shower without saying anything. The door slammed behind him, and finally he had privacy. He let the steaming hot water rush over him as he tried to clear his mind to start the day, but it just wasn't working out. Here they were: two married men, coworkers, best friends, stuck in a romantic relationship. Things were not meant to be this way.

He showered and got dressed quickly, choosing a dark designer suit and a baby blue tie. If he didn't feel good on the inside, he'd better look it on the outside, he thought. When he walked outside the bathroom again, he had found that Jon was already gone.

Jon Stewart paced down the hallway to the quad, because he was in need of a little time by himself. He never expected his relationship with Stephen to turn this tumultuous, and now he was unsure if that was what he had wanted in the first place. The first person he saw was Ed, who was seated on a bench drinking a bottle of water. Jon really didn't feel like talking, so he just rushed by and didn't slow down when he heard his friend's voice trail off behind him.

He finally made it out of the front gates of Boston University, and was free to finally explore the area by himself. He needed time to think and reconnect with life, maybe give Tracey a call along the way and finally ask how she was doing. He wanted to slap himself for all the stupid things he had done, knowing how much it would hurt his wife if even one paparazzo photo of he and Stephen got leaked to the press.

Jon stopped in a park that wasn't too far away from campus, and he needed to go sit in the shade considering his suit coat was trapping in a lot of the late July heat. He decided to take it off and drape it over his shoulder as he sat under a large oak tree that cast a large pool of shade. The wind whistled quietly through its branches, the noise soothing Jon into a trance almost. He was finally away from it all. He was at peace.

Stephen slipped his phone in his pocket and headed out to the quad with a bottle of water in hand. The first person he saw was Ed, and even though he didn't feel like talking to anyone, he sat down next to his friend on the wooden bench.

"I just saw Jon walk that way," Ed said as he pointed toward the exit gates, "and he looked pretty pissed. What happened?"

"I don't know," Stephen lied.

Ed just nodded his head slowly, seeing through Stephen's lie. Ed had known that something much more had been going on. He took a deep breath before going on to confront him.

"Stephen, the other day I saw you and Jon kissing in the dressing room."

Stephen had been dreading that sentence. The entire thing just blew up in his face.

"What?" he asked, trying to act surprised.

"I saw you and Jon kissing, Stephen. I know what's going on."

"No, you don't. You don't even know the beginning of…" Stephen stopped himself mid-sentence. He himself was giving too much away.

"Well, I know that when two guys are kissing, it usually means that they're together!"

Stephen shushed him quickly and looked around to see if anyone had heard.

"Ed, no one can no about this, okay? _No one."_

"Yeah, I think I got that. But why? Both of you are married… to women."

Stephen then realized that Ed could possibly never understand what his relationship with Jon had meant. It was more than a friendship now, and there was no going back.

"I just fell in love with him. It's difficult to explain, and there really is no use now anyway, because I'm pretty sure it's over."

"Why?"

"I don't want Evie or Tracey to find out, and Jon thinks that this can keep going without that happening, but I just don't see it. The whole thing was kind of stupid in the first place."

"If it was so stupid, then why did you do it? Why did you fall in love?"

"I don't know, Ed. It happened so quick. It's hard to explain."

Stephen sat there next to Ed for the next few moments before realizing he had nothing else to say. Silently, he stood up and walked off campus, leaving Ed to take it all in by himself. He couldn't say any more, and what else was there to say? He had screwed up big time, and he was just hoping that Evie would take him back when he got home. His black shoes glistened in the bright July sunlight as he strutted down the eerily desolate Boston sidewalk by himself. He was so unfamiliar with the area that he didn't know if he was about to come across a street lined with rows of expensive shops or if a mugger armed with a knife to kill would be around the next corner. He didn't really care about what was to happen anymore. His mind was covered by an overhang of thick fog, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever be the same again. He had alienated his best friend by turning him into a passionate lover, then had lost it all in a matter of three days. Stephen was living in hell.

He found a large park somewhere a few blocks down the street, and he decided to stop. It was nothing compared to the glory of Central Park back home, but a small pond filled with quacking ducks seemed promising. His designer leather shoes weren't very comfortable for walking long distances, anyway.

Jon glanced up from his illuminated cell phone screen under the cover of the huge oak tree to surprisingly find Stephen walking, only twenty paces away, his back turned. Jon was so shocked that he called out his name out of habit, afterward realizing it may have been a mistake. He had gone to the park to get _away _from Stephen, to think everything over, but here he was again. Waiting, hoping for him to just turn around.

"Stephen?"

He just kept walking in the opposite direction with his head turned down to the ground, hands stuffed in his pockets, his back slouched slightly. It definitely wasn't the Stephen that Jon was accustomed to seeing. Maybe he didn't want to be found, either. Still, Jon bravely tried again, raising his voice shakily.

"Stephen!"

This time he whirled around, completely unaware of where that familiar voice was coming from. God, he _couldn't _be imagining Jon's voice, could he? He prayed that he wasn't going crazy, even though it wouldn't surprise him. Then he heard it again.

"Stephen! Over here!"

Stephen turned himself toward the sound to find none other than Jon standing under an old oak tree that completely dwarfed him, his hair windblown and his suit jacket thrown casually over his shoulder. His left foot was now propped up on the tree's thick trunk, and Stephen squinted out the sunlight's glare to see his meek grin.

"Jon?" he asked, completely dumbfounded yet somehow relieved as he began walking toward the handsome man.

Jon stepped forward into the pool of bright sunlight and squinted to see Stephen's face. By Stephen's expression, he could see that he was completely shocked to have found Jon standing there, and he was still staring at him as if he was imaginary.

"Jon, I'm really sorry…" Stephen began nervously.

"No, I'm sorry. I know this is really difficult for you, but I have to admit: I'm undeniably, insatiably in love with you."

Jon was making this so difficult for Stephen that it felt like someone had taken away his air to breathe, his will to live. He had to just come out and say it. He had to. Now was the time.

"Jon, I don't think we can keep doing this. I don't ever want to hurt our wives like that," Stephen explained sadly as he took a deep sigh.

Stephen immediately diverted his gaze to the grim cobblestone pathway under his feet as Jon looked away to the ducks swimming in the pond in thought. How was he ever _not_ supposed to love this man?

"Well, could it ever happen?" Jon asked finally, still staring off into the distance, "I mean, when our kids are old and moved away and our wives are gone?"

Stephen just stood there for another moment, stone-faced with his hands still jammed deep in the pockets of his black slacks. Then something happened. The laugh lines around Stephen's mouth creased into a grin; the bright smile that Jon had known and loved from all the writers meetings when Stephen thought that something that he had said was funny. The same smirk he had seen early in the morning after the first night they had spent together when he rolled over in bed next to him. Jon couldn't help but smile himself.

"What the hell is so funny, Colbert?"

"Sure, Stewart, but let's make this one last."

Stephen took his hands out of the depths of his pockets and placed one on either side of Jon's face. He could feel his unshaven stubble beneath his fingertips as he pushed his lips against Jon's for one last hurrah. Jon could barely stand on his own two feet as his knees grew weak with the kiss, followed with Stephen's forehead lovingly pressed to his as he was forced to stare into Stephen's gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. In a completely unspoken agreement, they left the park together to head out back to campus side-by-side.

It definitely wouldn't be the last time their knees would go weak for the other's kiss, or they would turn over on a bed to find the other's grin to greet them in the morning.

**The End! Thank you so much for reading!**


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